


If There's Any Spirits Here, We'd Like to Ask You Some Questions

by TaraHarkon



Series: The Institute of Paranormal Research and Experimentation [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, Ghost Hunters, Ghosts, Haunted Theme Park, Injury, M/M, Wonderland
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-05-29 05:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15065990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaraHarkon/pseuds/TaraHarkon
Summary: “Have any of you ever heard of a place called... Wonderland?”That was what Lucretia had said when she’d handed the documentation over to Lup. Of course, Lup had spent the next week pouring over the reports and articles. Which was why the whole ghost hunting crew had gotten back together, plus one former ghost in the form of Barry Hallwinter, to go check out this abandoned roadside attraction.





	1. Welcome to Wonderland

“Have any of you ever heard of a place called... Wonderland?”

That was what Lucretia had said when she’d handed the documentation over to Lup. Of course, Lup had spent the next week pouring over the reports and articles. Which was why the whole ghost hunting crew had gotten back together, plus one former ghost in the form of Barry Hallwinter, to go check out this abandoned roadside attraction. 

* * *

Taako pulled his car into a parking space in the part of the lot closest to the old ticket concession gates and looked around. There was grass growing up between the cracks in the asphalt and a pair of crows sat over the gate gazing down at them. Lup got out and grabbed her backpack from the floor at her feet.

“Okay, so this place is creepy as fuck.”

Taako got out and leaned against the car.

“What were you expecting, Lulu? Rainbows and kittens? It’s a haunted theme park.”

Barry got out of the backseat, looking a little green. He leaned heavily against the car for a long moment before turning towards the gates.

“Did uh... did you guys hear that?”

Lup and Taako exchanged a look and then followed Barry’s gaze. Kravitz got out of the car then, going to the trunk to grab the gear bags. Lup looked at Barry, slightly concerned.

“I didn’t hear anything, Bear.”

Barry was still staring at the gates but then he shrugged.

“Maybe it was nothing.”

Julia and Magnus pulled in then and it was time to get moving. They approached the gates to the park, surrounded as they were by a jungle of overgrown weeds. The ticket concession stands themselves were covered in messy graffiti, but the graffiti didn’t spread up to the sign. The sign was untouched people. Only time had changed it from what had originally been there. For a moment, the six of them stood there and looked up at the sign over the gates with its faded paint and unlit neon:  _ Welcome to Wonderland. _ Taako shivered and took a sip from his iced coffee.

“You know what, on second thought, Taako’s good out here.”

But Magnus was already running towards the gates with a camera in his hands. Kravitz was just behind him with a duffel bag over one shoulder. A moment later, they all heard Magnus yelling.

“We should’ve brought Carey! It’s locked.”

Lup grinned and turned to Barry. 

“Wanna go pop that bad boy wide open, babe?”

He returned her grin and jogged up to join Magnus. For a moment, he just looked at the gate, then he closed his eyes. There was a flicker almost like reality had static for just a moment and then Barry was gone. They heard a squeak and the lock popped. The gate creaked open and Barry reappeared, standing in front of them. For a long moment, everyone but Lup stared at Barry in shock and horror. He was smiling sheepishly.

“Did uh... did I forget to tell you guys I could do that?”

Kravitz stared at Barry and then looked back at Lup who was grinning like the cat that got the cream. He pinched the bridge of his nose and walked through the gate.

“I hate all of you right now.”

Magnus was still staring at Barry as everyone else walked in. He raised his camera and took a picture of Barry. Then he lowered the camera slowly.

“Are you still dead?”

Barry sighed a little.

“Nope. Definitely alive. Ask Lup if you don’t believe me.”

Then Barry turned and followed Lup into the park. Magnus jogged a little to catch up with Julia. A moment later, they were standing by the large map of the park.

“Okay,” Kravitz took charge of the conversation, tracing a finger along the paths on the dusty map. “Each pair take a different section of the park. Barry, Lup, you two have Future Town. Julia, Magnus, take the Western Adventure. Taako and I will start in the Fantasy Zone. If you leave your section, radio in. Don’t leave your partner. Don’t go anywhere alone. And Barry, don’t do whatever the hell you did by the gates on camera.”

Barry rolled his eyes but he didn’t say anything. Lup was giggling as she reached for his hand. Julia was looking the map over.

“Looks good to me, Krav. Radio check-ins every hour, gang. If you miss your check-in, we’re gonna come looking for you.”

Each pair grabbed their respective equipment and checked the time to set for the first check-in. Then they split up, each heading off to their own sections. As Barry and Lup turned down the path towards Future Town, he stopped again and looked up at the castle with a little frown.

“Bear?”

Barry shook his head, trying to clear it.

“Sorry... Just thought I heard something again. But I think it was nothing.”

* * *

Somewhere in the decrepit castle in the center of Wonderland, two spirits stirred. Someone had entered their domain, six someones if they were any guess. Both spirits stretched and rose up out of their slumber. It had been so long since they had had a source of suffering, of fear. Two nearly identical smiles curled on two nearly identical faces. Today, they would get a chance to feed.


	2. The Investigation - Day 1

Barry walked under the arch that read Future Town and looked around. Lup was just behind him with her gear bag still slung over her shoulder. Their rough plan was to scout out the general area and then set up some motion detectors and a few of the stationary cameras. Then Barry was going to do his spooky stuff and see if there were any spaces they'd missed or maybe any other ghosts he could see that way. It was a simple enough plan, and hopefully one that would work. Or at least get them some useful scientific data. Once they got the equipment set up, Lup leaned against the wall and set her recorder on the floor.

"Alright, let's get this show on the fuckin' road. Lup and Barry in Future Town. Investigation day 1. Beginning EVP session now."

Barry looked around a little, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Is anyone here?"

He stood still, watching the recorder curiously. He still wondered how it was that the digital recorders could pick up ghost voices. They had done some experiments with the recorders and the ghost box with his incorporeal form but they hadn't been able to come up with an answer. Lup looked over at him and then smiled.

"If there's someone here, could you give us a sign?"

The room continued to be silent and Lup frowned, ears flicking back. Then she shrugged and reached for her EMF detector.

* * *

 Edward stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest as he watched these two people exploring their amusement park. Lydia leaned against him, curiosity alive on her face. Then she smiled slowly.

"Darling brother, do you feel how much energy they have? We could drain them and be fed for years."

He smiled, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"You're right, of course. But there are others in the park. We're going to have to make sure we get all of them."

The woman was looking at the device in her hand, a small black box that kept beeping as she and the man beside her stared at it. Lydia stepped out of the circle of her brother's arm, walking closer, and stopped as the man looked up, eyes narrowed behind his glasses. Lydia vanished from where she was standing, reappearing behind her brother with a startled expression on her face. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Let's go find the other ones, Edward. There's something odd about him and I don't like it."  
  
He nodded, letting her pull him back away. Then they both vanished.

* * *

Barry blinked a few times while Lup continued to stare at her EMF detector. The numbers were higher than she would have normally expected, much higher than the normal 0.5.  
  
"This could just be the old rides... If there's power anywhere..." She muttered to herself, walking around a bit as she studied the numbers and looked for areas with spikes. "There's really no way we can rule that out."  
  
When Barry didn't respond, she looked over at him, ears flicked back.  
  
"You okay, Bear?"  
  
He narrowed his eyes, staring towards the empty door labeled "Staff Access". It was closed and the doorway was empty. There was no way he'd seen anyone there... and yet.  
  
"Can we go have a look back there, Lup? I... I thought I saw something?"  
  
"Yeah, sure..."  
  
Barry picked up one of the cameras before heading that way, pausing to take a picture first. Then he pushed through the door into the staff access area and Lup followed behind him, recorder and EMF detector held up.

* * *

Julia panned her thermal camera around the room, keeping her feet as still as possible while Magnus sat on the floor nearby with his least favorite tool. After their last investigation, he truly hated the Boo Buddy bear after the last time, but here he was again. He'd set it on the floor in front of him, next to a rubber ball in a small chalk circle.   
  
"If anybody's here, if you could touch the bear, that'd be great. The stuffed bear. Not me. Please please please don't touch me."  
Julia couldn't help but giggle and put one hand up to cover her mouth. He was a ridiculous boy, but she loved him. He set his recorder on the floor and took a breath.  
  
"Magnus and Julia, Western Adventure. Investigation Day 1." He said it slowly and then looked around. "If you want, you can talk into this. Or you can move anything you want. If you could, that'd be really great and then we can talk to you. Okay?"  
  
There was a long silence while they both waited and Julia watched the colors on her camera screen. So far, things had been more or less what she was expecting. The only anomalies had turned out to be some bats roosting in one of the old rides. And that had been a heat spike. Normally, they looked for cold spots. Not that they'd had this camera for long. They'd only been able to start getting cool equipment like this after Professor Miller became their club advisor. And after her son had gone to prison. Not that him going to prison had anything to do with them getting equipment, but it certainly had been something of an apology to Lup for everything that had happened to her.   
  
"Hey, that tickles!"  
  
Magnus nearly jumped out of his skin when the bear reacted and Julia turned the camera around, catching just a glimpse of a cold spot in the thermal camera.  
  
"If that was you, can you do that again?"  
  
Almost immediately, the bear on the floor fell over and it's giggle echoed through the room. Magnus jumped to his feet and grabbed onto Julia's arm.  
  
"Please tell me you're seeing this, Jules."  
  
"I'm seeing it, Mags. I just don't know what I'm seeing."


	3. Investigation Day 1 - After First Check-In

 Taako, if he was being perfectly honest, was bored. Kravitz was sitting cross-legged on the floor with several meters on the floor in front of him while Taako took pictures around the room. Not that they'd caught a single damn thing so far. Not even a single bit of dust looking like an orb. After a long moment, Taako turned towards the doors and snapped one last picture before heading over to start shoving equipment back into the bag.

"Come on, handsome. Let's go check out some other digs. This place is mcfuckin' silent."

Kravitz nodded and started to stand. They both froze when one of the meters began to beep loudly. Kravitz laughed nervously.

"That was just me. Here, I'll just-"

He started to pick up the offending meter and it began to beep again. Pulling his hand back, he looked over at Taako, suddenly uncertain. Taako looked down at the screen of his camera and went pale.

"Hey, uh... scratch what I said about quiet." He took a few steps towards Kravitz and held the camera out. "Because uh..."

Two silhouetted figures stood in the doorway on the camera. Two figures that neither of them could see. Two figures who were naught but shadows with red glowing eyes. Kravitz took the camera from Taako, staring into the picture for a long moment. Then he grabbed Taako's hand.

"We need to pack up and find the others. Now, Taako."

That was more than just a bit confusing, but Taako went with it. Sure, they were finally getting evidence, but there was something in those red eyes that he did not like. He started packing meters and cameras back into their cases and into the duffle bag. Then he turned to see Kravitz fiddling with the radio, his face ashen.

"Krav?"

He held up the radio.

"Battery's dead."

Then Kravitz froze, eyes going wide. Taako could see the fabric of Kravitz's shirt getting pushed down where a hand rested on his shoulder and his eyes widened. They both stood like that for a beat. And then something knocked Kravitz off his feet and Taako ran towards him.

* * *

Julia took another picture of Magnus and the Boo Buddy Bear on the floor and grinned. Then she went pale, staring at the image on the screen. Just in front of Magnus, sitting opposite him on the other side of the bear, was a little boy with the long pointed ears of an elf flaring out on either side of his head as he reached towards the bear.

"M-Mags? We've... holy shit. Holy _shit_."

She turned the camera around, pointing the screen towards him. He looked up, curiosity on his expressive face. Then his eyes went wide and the color fled from his cheeks.

"Is that a... Radio the others. They need to see this."

Julia scrambled for her radio, fumbling it as it popped out of the clip on her belt. It slipped out of her fingers and hit the floor, the battery compartment popping open and the batteries scattering across the floor. Julia knelt, grabbing them. She shoved them back into the radio and it burst to life with a loud static noise. Turning down the volume, she pushed the button to speak.

"Julia here. Anyone copy?"

For a long moment, there was only the static of the radios, then an uncertain call came through.

"Jules? It's Lup. Have you heard from Taako or Krav? They missed check-in."

Julia was quiet for a moment.

"They're supposed to be in the Fantasy Zone. I think you and Barry are closest if you want to go check in on them?"

"Got it. We're on the way."

Julia nodded and then she looked back at Magnus as the bear giggled.

"When you're done there, you might wanna come here. We've got some weird shit going on."

* * *

Barry and Lup didn't bother gathering up their equipment yet, they just started heading through the park, following the signs that pointed the way from Future Town to the Fantasy Zone. They would be headed back there after they were sure Taako and Kravitz were alright, after all. The doors to one of the many pavilions there stood open and Lup walked in, flashlight in hand and looking around for whatever she might find. What she found was Kravitz sitting up and rubbing his head and Taako frantically pointing his camera in every direction.

"I got pictures of the assholes, at least. But now I can't..."

He turned towards the door and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Lup. She held up her hands.

"Ko, it's me. Chill. What happened? Are you guys okay? You missed the check-in."

Kravitz got to his feet and looked around. He seemed confused. And then he shook his head a little, clearing it.

"Something slammed into me hard enough that it knocked me off my feet. Barry, can you tell if anything is still here?"

Barry closed his eyes for a moment and then vanished as he let his corporeal form fade away. Looking around the room like this, he could see most of the same things. He could see the others standing around him, though he couldn't make out the conversation they were having without really trying. Instead, he looked to the edges of the room, to the shadows. It didn't look like there was anyone else around, at least not at first. Then he paused, seeing movement just beyond one of the doorways. An elven man around Lup and Taako's age looked back at him and grinned slowly. 

_"Well, well, well... This is certainly going to be interesting, isn't it?"_


	4. Ghost Attacks

Magnus was sweating and very nearly shaking as he watched the Boo Buddy Bear fall backward and then roll. Julia had clipped her radio back on her belt and was continuing to take pictures of the scene. A small boy sat there in each one, his long ears flared out in excitement and a smile on his face, but his eyes were black in each picture and his form only barely visible. She couldn't quite make out his clothing but she thought he might be wearing a collared shirt with suspenders. The rest of him was hard to make out.

Julia bit her lower lip, wishing she had one of the spirit boxes on her. Did they even have more than one? She knew that Lup and Barry had one with them. Then she gestured towards the recorder. 

"Okay, little guy, I know you're there. See that device on the ground right there? If you talk into it, then we'll be able to hear you, but you might have to shout in order for it to work. If you understand, why don't you say your name as loud as you can?"

Julia was quiet for a long moment, watching Magnus and the toy bear. The bear giggled and Magnus pulled back just slightly. Then he reached for the recorder and handed it up to Julia so she could play it back. Closing her eyes, she held it close to her ear and listened. At first, everything was quiet, periodically punctuated by their voices. Then she heard another voice and her eyebrows shot straight up into her hairline. It was a quiet voice, just the barest whisper.

"Keats."

Julia put her hand over her mouth, a huge smile on her face. This time, she was the one to make contact with something, and she'd never been more excited.

"Okay, Keats, I've got some more questions if you're alright answering them. You can stop whenever you like, okay?"

* * *

  
Barry watched as a second elf stepped out from the open doorway, standing beside the first. The two of them were looking him over with curiosity on their faces. 

_"I can't say I've ever seen anything like this before. Have you, dear sister?"_

The second elf brushed at her skirt and took a few steps towards Barry, looking him up and down with a slow smile crossing her face.

_"Nothing at all, brother. I do wonder though... Do you think we can keep him?"_

He definitely didn't like the sounds of that, not any more than he liked the darkness that swam behind their eyes and the blood stains splashed across both of them. 

_"Sorry to disappoint, but uh... I'm not about being kept. At least, not by you."_

With a moment of focus, Barry snapped back into the physical. Turning towards Lup, he started to open his mouth. Then something slammed into the back of him hard enough to knock him to the ground. Barry hit the concrete floor with a yelp, only just barely catching himself from landing face-first. The others froze, turning towards him. For a moment, they were all silent and then Lup ran towards Barry.

"Babe, what happened? Are you okay?"

She put a hand on Barry's shoulder and then moved to help him up. He flinched and reached back, putting his own hand on his shoulder.

"I don't... Lup, there's two ghosts here. And- fuck!" He swore and then hissed in pain, tugging at the fabric of his shirt. "Lup, can you...?"

Once he was back on his feet, she pulled the back of his shirt up and let out a soft hiss of her own as she saw the burn across his shoulder. It was almost shaped like a hand, almost as though a being forged of fire had shoved him to the ground. 

* * *

  
Magnus took notes while Julia asked questions. Soon, they'd learned quite a bit about the little boy in their company. Or at least, they'd learned that he was young and really liked the teddy bear that they'd brought and wandering through the old rides. 

"Were you here before the rides were, Keats?"

Julia waited a bit and then played the recording back. She'd been getting used to gleaning information out of the bits and pieces Keats could get through the recorder. If Barry could just come here, though, he could do whatever he could do and maybe talk directly. Maybe? She still wasn't quite sure what the limits were. 

_"Home."_

Magnus looked up at that, startled.

"Did he say home? Do you live here, Keats? Before it was a park, maybe?" Then he looked at Julia. "Do we know what was here before the park, Jules?"

She bit her lower lip and shook her head. They would have to do research if they came back for a second day of investigation. Then her radio suddenly burst to life.

"Jules, Mags, we've got a sitch." It was Taako's voice, shaking with nerves. "Barold got himself attacked by something. Lulu says it burned him but Krav and I don't see shit. It's like it healed over."

Julia and Magnus' eyes met and they both started moving towards their equipment.

"We're on the way. We just need to pack up quick. We got a lot but nothing hostile. You've got, what, two attacks on your end?"

Something tugged on Magnus' sleeve and he stopped, turning to see if anything was there. For a flash, he saw a shadow move across the floor.

"Keats? Is there something we should know, buddy?"

He picked up the recorder and checked it for a moment before flicking it on and holding it out. Magnus and Julia both stared at it in silence. They waited a beat, two beats, three beats. Then Magnus rewound and hit play. There it was, the message buried in the clicks and pops of the static.

_"They'll hurt you_. _"_

Magnus swallowed hard and put the recorder in his pocket.

"We'll be careful, Keats. But we've gotta go help our friends. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

A tiny ice cold hand touched his and Magnus tensed for a moment. His eyes widened and he looked over at Julia, then down at where a child would be if one were holding his hand.

"Or I guess you can come too. That's cool too."


End file.
